Researching the Reid Family Tree

Explore the detail of the Reid Family Tree using the links below.
We hope you find this information useful whilst you are unearthing your Reid Family History !

Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 31456 people with the Reid surname? In that year Reid was ranked number 100 for popularity in the UK.

New to Family History? Check out our Getting Started page.
Check out House Of Names to investigate the origins of the
Reid surname or get a copy of the Reid family Crest (a great gift idea!).

Reid records on Ancestry

Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out your Reid family tree. Many large databases are available to search covering from births, deaths and marriages, military records, census records and immigration records with many other smaller collections too. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.

DNA

Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. If you are lucky then you may find some previously undiscovered Reid ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!

Birth, Death and Marriage Records for the Reid Family History

Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Reid Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources listed below it will be possible to locate a birth record and, from that record, a birth certificate may be obtainable which is likely to list the names of the parents, therefore taking you back another generation. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Reid family tree.

View the distribution of the Reid surname in Britain using the
public profiler Names database. The public profiler Names database contains distributions for
the Reid surname in both 1881 and 1998. It also contains data on the ethnicity breakdown of the Reid surname.

Comments

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Some Famous People with the surname of Reid

Thomas Reid (26 April 1710 ? 7 October 1796), Scottish philosopher, and a contemporary of David Hume, was the founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense, and played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment.

Richard Colvin Reid (born 12 August 1973, also known as Abdul Raheem and as Tariq Raja, and often referred to in the media as the shoe bomber) was convicted on charges of terrorism and is currently serving a life sentence without parole in the United States for attempting to destroy a commercial aircraft in-flight by detonating explosives hidden in his shoes.

John Reid (born 8 May 1947) is a British Labour politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts since 2005, and has served in a number of Cabinet positions, including Home Secretary, Defence Secretary and Health Secretary.

George Newlands Reid (born 4 June 1939) was the second Presiding Officer (Speaker) of the Scottish Parliament, and was the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in May 2008.

William Reid VC (21 December 1921 ? 28 November 2001) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Michael Reid (19 January 1940 ? 29 July 2007) was an English comedian and character actor, hailing from Hackney in East London, who is best remembered for playing the role of Frank Butcher in EastEnders and hosting the popular children's TV show "Runaround".

Steven John Reid (born March 10, 1981 in Kingston, London) is an English born Irish football player who currently plays for QPR on loan from Blackburn Rovers and the Republic of Ireland, primarily as a midfielder.

Sir Robert Gillespie Reid (October 12, 1842, Coupar Angus, Perthshire, Scotland ? June 3, 1908) was a Scottish railway contractor most famous for building large railway bridges in Canada and the United States.

Anne Reid (born 28 May 1935) is BAFTA Award-nominated English film and television actress from Newcastle upon Tyne, best known for her roles as Valerie Tatlock in "Coronation Street" and Jean in "Dinnerladies".

Graham Reid (born 9 April 1964 in Redcliffe, Queensland) is a former field hockey defender and midfielder from Australia, who was a member of the team that won the silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

Michael Barry "Mike" Reid (born May 24, 1947 in Altoona, Pennsylvania) is a retired professional American football defensive lineman, as well as a Grammy Award-winning country music artist and composer.

Delroy "Junior" Reid (born 3 June 1965, Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician, best known for the songs "One Blood" and "Funny Man", as well as being the man that replaced Michael Rose as lead vocalist for Black Uhuru.

Paul Robert Reid (born 19 January 1968 in Oldbury, Worcestershire) is an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder in the Football League for Leicester City, Bradford City, Huddersfield Town, Oldham Athletic, Bury and Swansea City.

Francis "Frank" Reid (born June 16, 1920 in Mauchline, Scotland, died 1970) was a former professional footballer who played as a striker who played for Cumnock Juniors, Huddersfield Town, Stockport County and Mossley.

Mikhaela Blake Reid (born June 1, 1980 in Lowell, Massachusetts) is an editorial cartoonist published in various alternative newspapers and magazines, including "The Boston Phoenix", "Bay Windows", "Metro Times", and "In These Times", and was also reprinted in "Los Angeles Times".

Stanley Spencer Reid (12 July 1872 - 23 June 1901) was an Australian rules footballer with the Fitzroy Football Club from 1891-1898, an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church, and a member of the Imperial Forces in the Anglo-Boer War, firstly as a trooper in the Second Western Australian (Mounted Infantry) Contingent (2WAMI) in 1900, and then as commissioned officer in the Sixth Western Australian (Mounted Infantry) Contingent (6WAMI) in 1901.

Cornelius Lawrence Reid (Jersey City, NJ, February 7, 1911 - New York, NY, February 3, 2008), was a well-known vocal pedagogue in New York City, specialist in the bel canto technique, and author of books on bel canto.

George Croghan Reid (December 9, 1876-February 19, 1961) was a Brigadier General in the United States Marine Corps and a Medal of Honor recipient for his role in the United States occupation of Veracruz.